Inflated ball



Jan. 25, 1955 J, AXTQN, JR 2,700,545 INFLATED BALL I Filed Sept. 22. 1950 Zhwentor Be/y'aml/z QJAX [0/2, J."

Gttomegs United P tent-t) INFLATED BALL Benjamin J. Axton, Jr., Holyoke, Mass., assignor to A. G. Spaldrng & Bros. Inc., Chicopee, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Application September 22, 1950, Serial No. 186,214

4 Claims. (Cl. 273-65) The present invention relates to inflated balls and particularly to inflated balls having a molded casing completely enclosing the bladder and provided with a slit extending partially through the casing, which slit is closed by a separate lace. The method of making said ball is disclosed and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 241,287, filed August 10, 1951.

The present invention is applicable to all types of .inflated balls, such as basketballs, soccer balls, volley balls and footballs. However, it is particularly well suited for footballs in which the lace in the casing provides a means whereby the ball may be gripped for passing or handling.

In sewn footballs it has been the practice to leave a portion of one of the seams open and to insert the bladder through this seam and close the same by a flap and a lace extending across the opening. This had the disadvantage, however, that the casing is weakened at the opening and has a tendency to bulge after long use. In an effort to overcome this tendency unsewn balls were made up employing a laminated casing but no means were provided for receiving the lace, but instead a simulated lace was molded into the surface of the ball. This, however, did not provide a proper or satisfactory gripping action.

The present invention has the advantage of the unsewn ball insofar as maintaining its shape is concerned and the advantages of the sewn ball in that the separate lace provides for adequate gripping.

In carrying out the present invention a plurality of panels of fabric are provided with adhesive coatings and are laid up on the ball to provide a multiply casing. Incorporated in the wall of the casing is an adhesion resistant substance which prevents, in a zone in the wall, adhesion between adjacent plies to form a pocket therebetween. The outer plies of the casing overlying the pocket are slit and punched and a lace is inserted to draw the edges of the slit together. With this structure it will be seen that the ball will maintain its original shape and will resist distortion at the slit because of the underlying fabric forming part of the wall of the casing while at the same time the lace which is inserted in the holes in the outer plies of the casing will provide an adequate grip for passing or otherwise handling the ball.

In forming the pocket in the casing, in the illustrated form of the invention, a patch is used having an adhesive coated fabric as its base, an adhesion resistant portion lying within the edges of the fabric on one face thereof and an anvil lying within the edges of the adhesive resistant area. This patch is located on the ball so as to lie within the edges of the panels forming the wall so that when a slit is formed in the casing over the anvil it will not pass through a seam in the fabric forming the multiply wall of the casing.

The ball of the present invention may have a rubber cover formed with the exterior surface molded to simulate a leather ball or may be provided with a rubber cover having raised seams between which panels of leather may be inserted in the manner described in the Reach Patent No. 2,182,052, issued December 5, 1939.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the specification and claims when considered in connection with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a football with the lace in place.

Fig. 2 is a perspective of the ball with the lace removed.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the ball through the patch and before molding.

Fig. 4 is a view of the ball of Fig. 3 after the molding operation with the rubber coating on the outside and the slit and holes therein.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the patch.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of another form of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a view of the ball of Fig. 6 after the molding operation with the rubber coating on the outside and the slit and holes therein.

In the illustrated form of the invention the ball comprises an outer molded surface 10 to simulate a pebbled leather. It is also provided with molded seams 11 with simulated stitches therein and simulated stitches 12 on the surface.

In forming the ball of Fig. l a bladder 13 having a valve 14 has laid thereon the usual panels of fabric coated on their faces with adhesive material, such as rubber cement, to form two plies 15, 16 completely enclosing the bladder. At a zone to one side of the valve, as shown in Fig. 2, there is then placed a patch. The patch, as shown in detail in Fig. 5, comprises a layer of fabric 17 having adhesive on both sides. Overlying one face of the patch is an area of adhesive resistant material 18. The adhesion resistant material, in the preferred form of the invention, comprises a thin sheet of polyethylene or the like thermoplastic which during the molding operation forms a coating on the adjacent surfaces and prevents them from adhering. It is to be understood, however, that other sheet material such as fabric, paper or the like treated to prevent adhesion of the fabric in the zone may be used. If desired, a coating of a suitable adhesion resistant material may be used in place of the sheet material. An example of such a coating would be a lacquer formed of polyethylene or the like thermoplastic which is applied to the one face of the patch. In the center of the adhesive resistant material is an anvil 19. The anvil, in the preferred form of the invention, comprises a sheet of aluminum foil. If desired, however, it may be a thin plate of steel or other material capable of forming a surface against which the cutting tool can operate in forming the slit without cutting the inner plies.

After the patch is put in place it is covered by panels forming at least one layer or ply 20. The whole casing is then covered with a layer of rubber 21 and placed in a suitable mold (not shown) where, under suitable heat and pressure, the plies of the casing and the rubber of the cover become united into a homogeneous mass.

During the molding operation the adhesion resistant material and the anvil prevent the patch from adhering to the adjacent ply so as to form a pocket therebetween. The cover andouter plies of the casing are then provided with a slit 22, as indicated by the heavy line in Fig. 4, in the zone overlying the anvil by passing a sharp instrument through the adhered outer plies, the anvil preventing the instrument from cutting the inner plies. This presents raw out edges on each side of the slit to provide a rough surface adapted to resist shifting of the cover when the slit is drawn together. The adhesion resistant material, it will be noted, extends beyond the sides of the anvil so that the pocket formed thereby will provide for movement of the anvil and enable it to be removed through the slit. The pocket is indicated by the heavy black line 23 in Fig. 4. After the anvil is removed, holes 24 are punched along each side of the slit 22 and through which a lace 25 is inserted as shown in Fig. 1 to draw the sides of the slit together. The lace can be a strip of natural or imitation leather, flexible plastic or fabric as required.

It will be seen from Fig. 4 that the portion of the easing underlying the slit is joined to the outer plies all around the pocket and is of a size as determined by the outer plies and hence will prevent the casing from bulging at the slit while the outer plies will provide satisfactory means, for receiving the lacing. In the preferred form of the invention the valve is located remote from the pocket and slit, so that the fabric under the slit is continuous and presents a maximum of strength.

The form of the invention shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is generally similar to that shown in the preceding figures with the exception that in this form of the invention the patch is first laid on the bladder at a zone remote from the valve with the back of the fabric base 17 engaging.

the bladder and the adhesive resistant layer 18a and anvil 19a facing upwardly. The panels are then laid on to form several plies 15, 16, 20 of fabric thereover as shown in Fig. 6. The rubber cover 21 is applied and assembly molded as explained in connection with Figs. l-5. The slit 22a, as indicated by the heavy line in Fig. 7, is made therein at the zone over the anvil through the three outer plies and cover, the inner ply being formed by the fabric of the patch. The anvil is removed from the pocket 23 indicated by the heavy line in Fig. 7 and lacereceiving holes 24 are punched on either side of the slit. The lace is then inserted into the holes in a manner similar to that shown in Fig. 1.

It will be seen from the procedures outlined above that I have provided a novel ball wherein a multiply molded casing is formed having a pocket therein and a slit is cut in the casing to extend partially through the easing into the pocket and holes are punched in the casing adjacent the slit to receive the lace so that a ball having the desirable characteristics of a molded ball and a sewn ball having a laced opening are achieved.

While in the specific forms of the invention I have disclosed the use of a rubber cover, it is to be understood that if desired a leather cover may be applied on the ball by providing in lieu of the rubber cover a thin rubber layer having raised ridges thereon defining leather panelreceiving spaces as described in the aforementioned Reach patent.

Variations and modifications may be made Within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. An inflated ball comprising a bladder having a valve therein; a plurality of layers of fabric adhered together throughout the area thereof except for a relatively small pocket-forming, area between the layers, said adheredtogether layers forming a casing completely enclosing the bladder, the outer layers overlying the pocket having a cut therethrough forming a slit with raw edges and punched holes on each side of the slit; and a lace inter-, laced with said holes to draw the sides of the out together, the fabric underlying the cut preventing distortion of the ball at the cut.

2. An inflated ball comprising a bladder having a valve therein; a casing completely surrounding and enclosing said bladder and including at least three plies of fabric adhered together and to the bladder to form a multiply wall, said wall including a patch interposed between two of said plies at a zone remote from the valve, said patch having a fabric base with its back secured to one ply and the edge of its face secured to the other ply and having adhesion resistant means thereon to prevent adhesion of the other ply to the patch within the edges thereof to form a pocket therebetween, the outer plies in this zone being provided with a cut slit and punched holes on each side of the slit all extending to the pocket andproviding raw edges; and a lace interlaced with said holes to draw the sides of the slit together, the wall underlying the slit preventing distortion of the ball at the slit.

3. An inflated ball comprising a bladder having a valve therein; a casing completely surrounding and enclosing said bladder and including at least three plies of fabric adhered together and to the bladder to form a multiply wall, said wall including a patch having a fabric base with its back secured to the bladder and the edge of its face secured to the overlying ply and having adhesion resistant means thereon to prevent adhesion of the overlying ply to the patch within the edges thereof to form a pocket therebetween, the outer plies overlying the pocket being provided with a slit and holes on each side of the slit extending to the pocket; and a lace interlaced with said holes to draw the sides of the slit together, the wall underlying the slit preventing distortion of the ball at the slit.

4. In a game ball, the combination of: a bladder, a patch of fabric having an adhesive on one face securing the same to the bladder and having adhesion-resistant means overlying the other face and spaced inwardly from the edges thereof; a carcass of fabric enclosing the bladder and patch; an outer cover coextensive with said carcass and enclosing the same, said cover being bonded directly to said carcass and the carcass being bonded to the bladder and edges of the patch, the adhesion-resisting means preventing adhesion of the carcass to the patch inwardly of the edge thereof and forming a pocket substantially of the size of the patch between the patch and the carcass, said patch being continuous and imperforate within the area of said pocket, and said cover and carcass overlying the pocket and forming the outer wall thereof, said wall being provided with two parallel rows of punched lacing holes and being provided with a cut forming a slit located between and parallel to said rows of holes and of a length substantially equal to the length of said rows of holes, said holes and said slit throughout its length all communicating with said pocket and providing raw edges and said patch preventing distortion of the ball at the slit; a removable lacing threaded through said holes and spanning said slit; and a valve extending through said carcass and said cover at a point spaced from said pocket and communicating with the interior of said carcass.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 985,893 Gamble Mar. 7, 1911 2,116,479 Reach May 3, 1938 2,129,237 Riddell Sept. 6, 1938 2,367,374 Reach Jan. 16, 1945 2,494,796 Brown Jan. 17, 1950 2,575,414 Gow et a1 Nov. 20, 1951 

